This invention relates generally to packaging machines which enclose items between strips of material and, more particularly, to a packaging machine for enclosing medicine in packages which can be separated and stored in a removable magazine.
Bulk packaging machines which can separate and individually package a quantity of items and produce individual packages are known in the art, particularly bulk packaging machines which have been heretofore used to package medicine, such as capsules, caplets and tablets. One such prior art pill packaging machine can be used to separate and individually package large quantities medicines such as tablets or capsules. This bulk packing machine includes components demarcating upper and lower boundaries of packages, such as by scoring or perforating, such that a strand of individually separable packages are produced which can later be manually separated. Such a bulk packaging machine includes a top tray portion for separating a quantity of loose capsules, tablets, or other solid items, into individualized compartments and feeding each capsule individually, such as through a chute, into a position where it can be individually enclosed in a sealed package. Of course, the tray portion could also be configured to separate the loose capsules into pairs, or larger groups. Generally, two rolls of packaging material are positioned at opposite ends of the bulk packaging machine and are fed towards each other into an adjacent relationship at a packaging portion of the bulk packaging machine. At the packaging portion, the two strips of material are brought together in an adjacent position and joined together about a perimeter of the item to create an individual package. The packaging portion has a closure member, which is a generally horse-shoe shaped fixed frame on one side of the packaging portion and a correspondingly shaped movable frame positioned opposite the fixed frame for movement against the fixed frame. Either or both the fixed frame or the movable frame can be heated. When the movable frame is moved into contact with the fixed frame, with the two strips of packaging material sandwiched therebetween, the packaging material will be joined together by pressure and heat. The bulk packaging machine can further include a control unit for operating the device and a printer for printing information on one side of one of the strips of packaging material which is indicative of the type of medicine enclosed.
A disadvantage of the prior art bulk packaging machines is that the individual packages must be manually separated from the continuous strand of packages produced. Furthermore, packages made on such machines have been sealed around the edges having little room to punch a hole through the package without opening the pocket containing the pill or capsule, or being too close to the edge. Consequently, such packages are not suitable for punching and hence, cannot be stored on a rack. Therefore, they cannot be handled by an automated pharmacy such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267. In an automated pharmacy there is also a need for the hole to be in an accurate location with reference to the formatted barcode. Accordingly, there is a need for a bulk packaging machine which can simultaneously produce a strand of enclosed packages, punch a hole through each individual package in an accurate location with reference to formatted barcode, separate the individual packages from the strand, and store separated packages in a magazine. Moreover, this packaging machine should be designed so that if the pill or other object being packaged does not fall completely into the package and is struck by the by the punch, components of the punch driving mechanism will release preventing damage to the punch. Should this occur, the punch driving mechanism should be easily reset to avoid a lengthy shut down of the machine.